Here is shengena forest reserve photos during the walks on 15th july 2013
Shengena Forest Reserve is the largest forest block in the South Pare mountains, it is situated between the North Pare mountains and the West Usambara mountains in north-eastern Tanzania. The southern Pare Mountains are situated in Kilimanjaro Region, about 150 kilometre south of Moshi district. The forest reserve covers an area of 14,213 hectares of various forest types and Montana grassland from an altitude of 1,250m to Shengena peak at an altitude of 2,462m. The Shengena forest reserve, with numerous water springs, is home to animals, reptiles and bird species rare in other parts of the world and therefore its protection implied to the promotion of tourist activities in the area. Mt Shengena is covered by dense forests. They are the livelihood of the surrounding villages, home to rare animals and plant species and it surrounds Pare Mountains (Same District). Most importantly however, they provide water for the entire Same district – until now. The water is very clean and can be used for washing, cooking, drinking and many more other uses. On the ridge, the trees had to give way to bare red soil. Rivers originating from Shengena forest reserve include Yongoma, Saseni, Mhokevunta, Nakombo, Pangani and Hingilili draining water in Kalemawe Dam, and the lowland areas of Kihurio, Ndungu Irrigation schemes, Kisiwani, Gonja, Bendera and Mkomazi for rice production as well as water supply in Same, Makanya and beyond that and more than 300000 people depend water from the forest for their lives.On top of the Shengena Mountains is the dense tropical forest with many rare trees, plants, different types of rare reptiles, birds and different kinds of wild animals. The forest offers an oasis of rest, beauty and fresh air. Visitors can easily walk a day through the forest without meeting anyone (Tourists activities). The surrounding villages are among of the most isolated places in Northern Tanzania and the local people have kept their traditional (Pare culture) throughout their history. Narrow footpaths wind through the mountains from one village to another which attract rains in the forest and the villages around. Africa's most biodiverse nation, Tanzania as well, has added a few more species to its dockets. Researchers have discovered three new amphibians in the always surprising Eastern Arc Mountains (Shengena forest), a region which has supplied a number of new species recently( Callulina laphami, Callulina shengena, and Callulina stanleyi)were discovered by an international group of scientists, including Tanzanian scientists. The remaining habitats are threatened by forest clearing due to agriculture, forest fire, gold mining activities and illegal timber/logging. Although the forest benefit people around is as follows vegetable foods (leaves, tubers, fruit);honey, termites and wild meat, wood for building, fuel and income generation through tourism, place of worship; gums, resins and fibers, herbs and medicines, grass for thatching hut, pasture for livestock, Agricultural activities, water for domestic uses and so many other uses.
Currently the forest is faced with a number of man-initiated threats. These includes forest fires, encroachment for agriculture, tree felling for wood fuel, building materials(logs, timbers) which suffocate indigenous species caused by Gold mines activities taking place illegally within the forest. But now the forest, spring water, natural vegetation, species, wild animals are in danger to disappear due to the deforestation and Gold mines activities taking place within the forest. But all these wealth of the National are endanger to disappear due to man threats caused by forest mining activities, Forest fires, illegal trees harvesting and so many other factors which has caused miserable and disappearing of rare species in the forest as follows
Bauxite mining in Mount Shengena :The forests are disappearing under spoil heaps, this has caused humankind and nature suffers due to the greed for raw materials of others. It not only destroys this unique ecosystem, but also the source of water for the entire Same district. The villagers around the forest has already complaining of not having enough water to keep their fields fertile. Agriculture would be almost impossible and particularly the rural population will then be deprived of its basic food. Moreover, the mining also damages the ecosystem of the adjacent Shengena Forest Reserve, which was originally intended to protect the forest precisely against these influences. Communities living along the Bauxite mining has blamed the escalating environmental degradation for that the endemic drought that is threatening food production in the area. It is just contributing to environmental degradation in the area.
Large trucks transport the red raw material (soil) for aluminum into the valley. The raw material is being brought to the neighboring Kenya and from there, is shipped to Asia.
The entire region is threatened to dry up if there is no more water flowing from the catchment areas and agriculture would then be impossible, Even now, farmers in Ndungu,Kihurio,Bendera,Mkomazi,Bwambo,Chome,Gonja,Mpinji,Mamba e.tc villages are complaining of increasingly poor harvests due to the fact that their rivers has dry up. Their livelihood is threatened by the exploitation. Some of them formed a protest group, but without any help, they are powerless against other side that pays a lot of bribe for silence to minimize their protesting.
Gold mining taking place within the forest and within the catchments areas which has result water to dry up in the main rivers.The people worry about the drought as the mining is not friendly to forests and destroys sources of water. We have started experiencing water shortage in this area compared to the past. A survey we carried out during the Shengena Forest Walks on 15th july 2013 incooperation with World Agro Forest Centre from Nairobi,Kisumu,Dar-es-salaam and other Environmental stakeholders from Tanzania in the area recently showed that the on-going mining has negative impacts to the indigenous people in the area. The event provided a platform for environmental stakeholders and the local community to interact and promote awareness on the importance of protecting Shengena Forest, with a view to limit the effects of drought and securing the endangered flora and fauna species in the forest. During the event Rev. Makenya expressed optimism in the ongoing restoration activities and called on ICRAF and other relevant stakeholders to facilitate in the conservation initiatives by providing the groups with potting materials, knowledge on tree nursery establishment and forest management. The event took part in the Shengena walk that happened in Mamba Miamba, Northern Tanzania.The campaign aimed to plants 1 million trees in the year 2013-2014 incooperation with our local environmental groups,students environmental club at their school surrounding and to the public areas, the charity walk event was aimed at sensitizing locals against destroying the vast Shengena forest which supports the livelihoods of more than 300,000 people.
We have been experiencing water shortage in this area as the mining process disturbs water sources. Even crop production has gone down, the situation that makes us to suspect these mining activities here as the major cause of water dry up, because the rains are not enough compared to the preciously years.
The water from natural springs and rivers originating from the forest used to be sparkling clear but today it looks brownish and dirty, indicating possible case of poisoned water. Gold mining that involved up-rooting of huge trees as miners believed that gold was attached to the roots, would cause quick disappearance of the water springs and health complication due to chemicals applied. The vegetation starts to change color. Trees found along the river banks as contaminated water flows down the stream dry quickly, indicating that the chemicals found in water were harmful to living organisms. We admitted that indeed mining activities put at risk people's lives as miners targeted water sources.
"The miners have been falling trees at an alarming rate and we fear that the forest cover may soon be depleted and this will be disastrous not only to Same district, but also the entire nation because Pangani River basins which is the source of Hydro electric power at Hale Nation station also depend on water flowing from Shengena forest reserves.
Other challenges includes Including encroachment for agricultural land, overcutting of trees for building,illegal timbers,logs ,charcoal,fencing, overgrazing, uncontrolled bush fires, lack of funds to support them seeds and polythene tubes,cutting of trees to harvest honey, overuse leading to loss of water sources in the forest.Animals around Mkomazi National Reserve are endangering due to the fact that they depends water from Shengena forest for their survival too through Kalemawe Dam which has been drying up due to forest obliteration. Mkomazi game reserve and several irrigation schemes risks being wiped out if stringent and swift conservation measures are not adopted.
According to a report by the World Wide Fund (WWF), for the past 50 years, about half of the world’s original forest cover has been lost owing to the unsystematic exploitation of forest resources by human beings and Shengena forest is no exception.We needs your kindly aids to save most adversely species which are in danger to disappear, poor farmers and pastoralist at the remoteness areas who are already grappling with water which are now dry up due to the human threats in the forest, rivers and sources of water from the peak of Shengena forest. More than 300,000 people will continue to benefit from the forest if and only if we will get your social, economical, technical, legal and moral supports. Therefore, our project intends to address man-initiated threats with the view to making a contribution in forest management, environmental education, research, advocacy, stopping mines activities, restoring natural vegetation within and around the forest to improve their livelihood. These initiatives should be seen as experiments along the route to fully sustainable partnerships between people and their government in the joint custodianship of forests that provide benefits at local and national levels - including biodiversity conservation.Be apart of the campaign to fulfills our target to plant 1 million trees around the area in the year 2013-2014